Neutering & Spaying

Neutering And Spaying Your Pets

It is not uncommon to see a stray dog or cat roaming across a backyard or scampering along a sidewalk without a home to return to. In this nation alone there are millions of owner-less animals in shelters or those who are less lucky or wandering the streets alone. There are not enough people willing to adopt these animals, which unfortunately causes them to be euthanized within these animal facilities.

Not only does neutering and spaying help with population control of animals, but they are actually life-saving procedures which can improve the health of all cats and dogs. Spaying females prior to their first heat cycle nearly eliminate the risk of breast cancer and totally prevents uterine infections and uterine cancer. Neutering males prevent testicular cancer and enlargement of the prostate gland and greatly reduces their risk for perianal tumors. Essentially, allowing your pets to be spayed or neutered will enable them to fulfill a long, healthy life.

Spaying for Cats and Dogs

Spaying in both cats and dogs is a complete ovarian hysterectomy. Allowing for your female pet to undergo this operation will allow her to live a longer, healthier life. Spaying helps prevent uterine infections and breast cancer, which is fatal in about 50 percent of dogs and 90 percent of cats. Spaying your pet before her first heat offers the best protection from these diseases.

Your neutered male will also be better behaved. Neutered cats and dogs focus their attention on their human families. On the other hand, unneutered dogs and cats may mark their territory by urinating inside the house. Many aggression problems can be avoided by early neutering. Your male dog won’t want to roam away from home either. An intact male will do just about anything to find a mate! That includes digging his way under the fence and making like Houdini to escape from the house. And once he’s free to roam, he risks injury in traffic and fights with other males.

The Procedure

Prior to surgery, pre-anesthetic blood work is done to check your pet’s kidney and liver values. Both of these organs are responsible for filtering anesthesia out of the bloodstream if there are any issues with the kidneys or liver your pet might have difficulty recovering from the anesthesia. Pets can occasionally have congenital kidney or liver issues that are not detected without Blood Work.

Next an intravenous (IV) catheter is placed in your pet prior to their surgery allowing for quick IV access should it be needed during surgery. Surgical Monitoring is performed by one of our experienced veterinary technicians who routinely inform the surgeon of the status of the patient under anesthesia – blood pressure, temperature, respiration, and heart rate are all monitored throughout the surgical procedure. After Surgery is complete, your pet will be moved to a recovery area and observed until fully awake. World of Animals surgeons recommend sending your pet home with an Elizabethan collar to prevent licking of the incision and pain medication to reduce post-surgical discomfort.